Notes for Sunday – August 21, 2016

In 1986, Lake Nyos in Cameroon erupted with an estimated billion cubic yards of carbon dioxide gas. The gas had apparently been accumulating in the crater lake, held down by the weight of the water. When it finally erupted, the gas cloud smothered and killed every living animal, including insects, in its path until it dissipated. Outsiders learned of the disaster when they approached the villages and found animal and human bodies on the ground. The best estimate is that 1,700 people and thousands of cattle died.

My Tomato Process – Part 2, by Sarah Latimer

Making and Storing Tomato Sauce for the Long Haul

Crushing, Peeling, Seeding

There are a number of ways to do this, but I am one who likes efficiency. I just have too much to do to take time to do things the “hard” way. Of course, I like to do things myself, but why make it more difficult than it has to be, right? At some point, if the grid goes down and the solar power system fails, I may be forced to boil and peel tomatoes and hand crush them or use a hand-cranked crusher/separator, but until that happens I am using the electric tools available to me. I am a huge fan and power user of my KitchenAid mixer and my KitchenAid FPPA Mixer Attachment Pack. For making tomato sauce, the mixer’s little motor and crusher/strainer attachment does the job in a matter of minutes that I remember my parents having to do with the old Norpro Sauce Master manual crank system over the course of hours and days. I may have to return to that some day but not today. I simply attach the KitchenAid crusher/separator attachment and the KitchenAid strainer extension tray I like to use, put a tall Pyrex bowl underneath where the tomato juice/sauce will come out and a small bowl at the end where the skin and seeds will be dispensed. My tomatoes are washed and sorted. Now, I set up a slicing board, over half of the sink between my buckets of tomatoes and the mixer. Then, I cut the tomatoes that are too large to fit into my crusher opening into halves or thirds and fill my crusher tray. When the tray is filled, I turn on the mixer motor and begin crushing that batch of tomatoes by pressing tomatoes, one at a time, through the machine. It seems to just take about two seconds per tomato. It works especially fast if you have a helper who can trim any questionable spots and cut tomatoes while you fill the crusher. It crushes, strains, and separates the tomatoes faster than I can cut them, pick them up, and put them in the opening.

I put a two-quart Pyrex measuring bowl underneath the strainer to catch the pulp and juice and a one quart bowl underneath the separator to catch the skins and seeds. As the Pyrex bowl fills, I dump the pulp/juice into a large soup pot that I start heating on the stove. As the seed/skin bowl fills, I dump this into planters that are filled half way with soil and then mark the various planters with which type of tomato the seeds came from, or I separate them into locations so that I know and can mark the pots after I have completed the tomato sauce-making process. (These pots of seed are left outside all winter to dry, ferment, and then develop into plants in the spring when the rains and warm temperatures come.)

Cooking the Tomato Pulp/juice Into Sauce or Paste

Cooked tomatoes and sauce are very healthy with antioxidants and loads of vitamins and nutrition. For the bulk of my tomato sauce, I don’t add a thing; I just boil it down, at a low simmer to the right consistency, which is usually about half of what I started with, since I use mostly meaty tomatoes designed for sauce or paste. It is important though to stir it occasionally on the bottom to avoid any scorching. If you are using very wet tomatoes, you will need to cook longer and down to 1/3 or maybe even 1/4 of what you started with to get a hearty sauce consistency. Cooking to paste requires even more simmering. Most people will add salt to their sauce for preservation and flavor, but we are a low-sodium family, so I use very little or none. Preparing a big batch of tomato sauce takes hours, so plan accordingly, and keep an eye on your sauce so that it doesn’t scorch or overflow your pot. When you begin boiling your tomato pulp-juice, it may froth up under a heavy boil, so do not fill your pan full. Leave at least a couple of inches of pan above the level of tomato juice at the start so that you don’t lose any of that precious sauce. Just simmer it on low and stir the bottom occasionally, until it reaches the consistency you desire. It’s especially important to stir frequently as it gets thicker.

Most of the sauce I produce is just plain so that it can be used in many ways– tomato meat sauce, marinara, chili, soups, stews, and so forth. However, sometimes it is handy to have a jar of seasoned tomato sauce ready to use. I usually make at least one large pot of my Italian Marinara Sauce and/or Tomato Meat Sauce, either with or without meat, to both pressure can and freeze dry each season. Yes! You can can meat sauce! Mixed with acidic tomato sauce, lean cooked meat is quite safe to be pressure canned. I have opened up, and our family safely eaten, jars that had been stored for multiple years. (Even lean meats alone can be safely pressure canned. However, it is important to note that pressure canning is not the same as water bath canning. Meats must be pressure canned.) I also freeze dry some sauces for individual servings or to use in recipes.

When I am faced with the sizable task of making either my Italian Meat Lasagna or Vegetable Lasagna, which are family favorites that I make with my own homemade creamy lemon ricotta cheese, it sure helps to simplify the process by already having my sauce made ahead of time– whether in canned form or freeze-dried form. Both work great, though when a large quantity is required I usually reach for the canned sauce and keep the freeze-dried sauces for when I just need a little for a recipe or for an individual serving. I have successfully stored tomato sauce for four years without any problems. I am confident it would store much longer, but I use it before it gets any older than that, as part of our food rotation; our larder does not get old. Food very rarely gets discarded, because we store what we eat and eat what we store. It only gets given to the animals if by some circumstance there is an accidental spill that contaminates it. It just doesn’t get “old”, so I don’t have a personal maximum storage life testimonial to share with respect to tomato sauce. Sorry! Well, actually I’m not so sorry.

It is a healthier lifestyle that we have grown into, thanks to the survival/homesteading mindset! Growing massive quantities of vegetables, herbs and spices, and fruits and processing them for the year, baking our own bread from freshly ground flours, making some of our own cheeses, and raising chickens and such has led to active lives and stronger bodies, the knowledge that our food is real food and not loaded with preservatives and fillers, and the consumption of much fiber and nutrients without any toxic pesticides, genetically-modified organisms, antibiotics, or contagious disease. Living this lifestyle and storing the food that we eat and then eating what we store in a systematic way has been a financial benefit, but even more so a physical and emotional health benefit.

We know that we are to wisely use what God has given us and store up when we have the ability to do so. He gives us many lessons about this throughout His Word– the Bible. From a weekly perspective, we are to work six days and prepare ahead to rest on the seventh. We are told the story of Joseph, through whom Egypt and the entire world was saved because he led the people to store up in the time of plenty for the time that was coming when there would be famine. There are many more examples of a time to work and store up and a time to use what is stored and to rest. Having what we need stored up gives the mind and body a peace and ability to receive God’s rest and comfort when it is time to do so.

Tomato sauce is one of the easiest things to store. If you are just beginning on the journey of food preservation, this is a great place to get started, and canning is a wonderful place to start since so much can be canned. However, if you are on a budget, many people will tell you that water bath canning is the least expensive way to get started, but you may be like me and soon find that you are frustrated that there are many things you cannot water bath can. Then you will eventually have to buy a pressure canner anyway. It is my strong suggestion, for economics if nothing else, that you simply invest in a good pressure canner right up front and avoid the water bath canner investment altogether, unless you are only planning to can tomato sauce and fruit jellies. Even then, it takes much longer and therefore more energy to do so with a water bath system. When the grid goes down, fuel resources may be in short supply and in the heat of late summer when the garden is at its height I don’t want to have to stand over the heat of a water bath for an hour or more when I could simply have 15 minutes of boiling within the pressure canner. The simmering tomato sauce will be challenge enough.

Canning Tomato Sauce (My Step-by-Step Process)

At the point that I begin making the sauce, I usually load my dishwasher with more than enough wide mouth quart Ball jars and lids for my batch of sauce, and I run these jars through the dishwasher on a sanitizer setting, which takes about two and a half hours. This is the easiest way I have found to sterilize and prepare my jars for canning. Even though the jars may be new, there may be chemicals from production, dust, and bacteria or viruses residing on them. I want to get them as clean as possible. Note that I pressure can, and the sterilization process needs to be more strict for water bath canning. (In water bath canning, jars and lids should be boiled in water for several minutes immediately before being filled with hot contents. Follow instructions in the Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving for water bath canning.) I leave my jars in the dishwasher to continue steaming and to stay clean and out of the way until my sauce is ready later in the day.

Some tomatoes are not as acidic as others and require lemon juice, vinegar, or citric acid to reach a safe acidic level for canning. If you are not sure, you should err on the side of safety. Lemon juice is my recommended additive, because it adds the best flavor. Just add about two tablespoons of bottled lemon juice into each of your quart jars before adding the cooked tomato sauce. It will get mixed up in the canning process.

Once the sauce is the right consistency, I remove the jars from the dishwasher and place them on a clean jelly roll/cookie sheet. Then, I take a funnel and set it on top of the first jar to be filled. If adding lemon juice, this is the time to do it. (Be sure it is not cold lemon juice coming out of your refrigerator when you pour it into hot jars or you risk breaking them.) I ladle the hot sauce into the jar, leaving about 1 1/2 inches of space below the jar’s top rim, and then I set a clean, new, sterilized flat lid on top. I repeat this, filling all jars until I have used up my tomato sauce. If there is only a partial jar of sauce at the end, that jar goes into the refrigerator for use right away or to be added to the next batch of juice that will be boiled down to sauce within the next week. (I reboil this stored sauce with the tomato juice to kill any bacteria that might have grown in it during the few days it was in the refrigerator.) Then, I loosely screw on the rings to the jars.

My pressure canner, which is an All American brand 21.5-quart size, holds seven quart jars at a processing. I put the canner on the stove, add several inches of hot water, and set the jars into the canner so that the jars are not touching one another or the side of the canner. It takes some careful placement to accomplish this, but it can be done. I believe in all our years of canning, we’ve only had one jar break on us during canning. (Don’t be afraid of pressure canners; just be thoughtful and careful to follow procedures! It is easy, safe, and an excellent means for preserving food for the long term!) After all seven jars are in place, I check the water level. It shouldn’t be more than about 1/3 of the way up the jars but does need to be several inches. We just need enough water for steam to continue without running dry during our processing, which takes about 15-20 minutes for quart jars of tomatoes in pressure canning. (When water bath canning, tomatoes canned in quarts require a minimum of 45 minutes of processing.)

I set the canner lid on top, adjusting it to sit balanced and turn to latch it in place. Then, I lift two opposite bolt locks and simultaneously turn the knobs to gently lock the lid down, not tightening completely yet, until all bolt locks are in place and I can adjust the lid’s spacing to keep it evenly balanced in the final tightening. That lid bolt lock tightening is the hardest part, but it is not difficult. The trick is in properly setting the lid in the beginning and then, working opposite bolt locks simultaneously, tighten it down so that the lid sits flat and even all the way around until it is then locked down tightly. It gets easier with practice! Once the lid is securely locked down, put the weight on the steam outlet, with the appropriate about of pressure for your elevation in the top position. Consult the Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving with any questions about the proper pressure weight for you to use.

Turn your stove on to high heat and let the water come to a boil. When the weight begins to rattle wildly, turn your heat down to medium-low so that you only hear an occasional rattle every 15-20 seconds or so and begin timing your processing. You need to process from this point at least 15 minutes for quarts of tomatoes. (Other foods require more time, and sometimes much more.) After I’ve processed at least 15 minutes, I just turn the stove off and let my canner cool down before removing the lid. Several hours later, I will remove the weight. If there was no steam coming out when I removed the weight and the canner is only slightly warm or cool to the touch, I will then open the lid. I use a jar lifter from my canning tool set to gently lift each jar onto a cookie sheet that has a dish towel spread out over it to catch the water that runs off the the jars. At this point, I check to see that the lids have all dipped down with a vacuum, indicating a successful canning, and I dry off my jars and label the lids, using a black Sharpie marker. I always mark the process, contents, and date. So, in this case, I might write “Canned Tomato Sauce 8/16”. When the jars are completely cooled, they go into the larder at the back, so that the older tomato sauce can be used before this new tomato sauce.

In Part 3 of this series on processing tomatoes, I will describe how we freeze dry sauce and tomatoes and will also share some of my tomato recipes, including my very popular salsa recipe, which I freeze dry and can reconstitute in the winter with great success. Yummy! Have a blessed, safe week, y’all!

Letter Re: Rethinking Wound Care

HJL,

What the writer says is spot on for infection occurring more often in warm and moist conditions. One note here, however. Flies in a wound are going to lay eggs and you are going to get maggots. As disgusting as that sounds, it might not be a bad thing. Maggots have been used for centuries to debride wounds. (Debride means to remove non-viable tissue.) Maggots only eat the dead tissue, which is where the infection is at its worst. The less infection present the easier it is for the bodies defensive mechanisms to fix the problem. I first became aware of this while working at Tripler Army Hospital back in the 70’s. When we went to check a wound under a cast that had a “window” cut into it for wound care, we noted the maggots. The colonel in charge said leave them in and explained the above to the staff medics and nurses. This is probably going to be frowned on in current medical circles, so showing up at your doctors office with a wound full of maggots will probably not be seen as a good thing. It might actually get you charged with abuse, if you are the caretaker. On the other hand, in a collapsed economy with no antibiotics and a badly infected wound, maggots could mean the difference between life and death. I wonder what SurvivalBlog’s medical editor would say on this? – N.W.

Economics and Investing:

Gold Price Will Go High As Hyperinflation Is Nigh

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Socialism: The World’s Greatest Generator of Poverty

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Irrational Exuberance Is Back… And Even The Fed Is Worried (Note: Link requires a membership to read. You can read a reprint of it on Zero Hedge.)

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Investor Complacency Is Smashing Records

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SurvivalBlog and its editors are not paid investment counselors or advisers. Please see our Provisos page for details.

Odds ‘n Sods:

US judge orders Clinton to answer queries

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Is Civil Unrest Coming to Suburbia? Rest Assured, the Media Will Lie About It. Some very good advice. Remember what Willie Sutton, bank robber, said decades ago when asked why he robbed banks? “That is where the money is.” The burbs have food, money, et cetera. – H.L.

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Louisiana Underwater: Life After Another Huge Flood

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You use what you have, but this is definitely not recommended: Alaska Outfitter Defends Fishermen from Raging Grizzly with 9mm Pistol – B.P.

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Pesticide-resistant whitefly could ‘devastate’ many US crops – H.L.

Hugh’s Quote of the Day:

“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! Behold, your house is left unto you desolate. For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.” – Matthew 23:37-39 (KJV)

Notes for Saturday – August 20, 2016

August 20th is the birthday of former Congressman Ron Paul (born, 1935.) He recently retired from congress. Dr. Paul is to be commended for fighting the good fight for many years.

August 20th, 1866 is also the day that president Andrew Johnson formally declared the Civil War over.

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Today, we present another entry for Round 66 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The nearly $12,000 worth of prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. A Tactical Self-Contained 2-Series Solar Power Generator system from Always Empowered. This compact starter power system is packaged in a wheeled O.D. green EMP-shielded Pelican hard case (a $1,700 value),
  2. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate that is good for any one, two, or three day course (a $1,195 value),
  3. A course certificate from onPoint Tactical for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses, excluding those restricted for military or government teams. Three day onPoint courses normally cost $795,
  4. DRD Tactical is providing a 5.56 NATO QD Billet upper with a hammer forged, chrome-lined barrel and a hard case to go with your own AR lower. It will allow any standard AR-type rifle to have a quick change barrel, which can be assembled in less than one minute without the use of any tools and a compact carry capability in a hard case or 3-day pack (an $1,100 value),
  5. Gun Mag Warehouse is providing 20 Magpul PMAG 30-rd Magazines (a value of $300) and a Gun Mag Warehouse T-Shirt; (an equivalent prize will be awarded for residents in states with magazine restrictions),
  6. Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  7. The Ark Institute is donating a non-GMO, non-hybrid vegetable seed package (enough for two families of four) plus seed storage materials, a CD-ROM of Geri Guidetti’s book “Build Your Ark! How to Prepare for Self Reliance in Uncertain Times”, and two bottles of Potassium Iodate (a $325 retail value),
  8. A $250 gift certificate good for any product from Sunflower Ammo,
  9. KellyKettleUSA.com is donating an AquaBrick water filtration kit with a retail value of $250, and
  10. Two cases of meals, Ready to Eat (MREs), courtesy of CampingSurvival.com (a $180 value).

Second Prize:

  1. A Glock form factor SIRT laser training pistol and a SIRT AR-15/M4 Laser Training Bolt, courtesy of Next Level Training, which have a combined retail value of $589,
  2. A transferable certificate for a two-day Ultimate Bug Out Course from Florida Firearms Training (a $400 value),
  3. A Model 175 Series Solar Generator provided by Quantum Harvest LLC (a $439 value),
  4. A Trekker IV™ Four-Person Emergency Kit from Emergency Essentials (a $250 value),
  5. A $200 gift certificate good towards any books published by PrepperPress.com,
  6. A pre-selected assortment of military surplus gear from CJL Enterprize (a $300 value),
  7. RepackBox is providing a $300 gift certificate to their site, and
  8. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.

Third Prize:

  1. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  2. A $245 gift certificate from custom knife-maker Jon Kelly Designs, of Eureka, Montana,
  3. A large handmade clothes drying rack, a washboard, and a Homesteading for Beginners DVD, all courtesy of The Homestead Store, with a combined value of $206,
  4. Expanded sets of both washable feminine pads and liners, donated by Naturally Cozy (a $185 retail value),
  5. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  6. Mayflower Trading is donating a $200 gift certificate for homesteading appliances,
  7. Montie Gear is donating a Precision Rest (a $249 value), and
  8. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from www.TOUGHGRID.com (a $240 value).

Round 66 ends on September 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

Keep Your Nose Clean!, by E.P.

In a survival situation, one of the most important things to consider is hygiene, especially if you are caring for children. In developed countries, waterborne illnesses and skin diseases are no longer common, but even in a short-term survival situation, unclean spectres rear their ugly heads. Fortunately, a simple family hygiene kit is easy to prepare and store.

Although public health has advanced much in the past 150 years, at its core it consists of isolating waste and washing hands properly. Other important considerations are regular bathing and dental hygiene. As a mother of six children, I would also add simple wound care to this list. Any wound that is not dealt with promptly can fester, and my boys seem to rip off toenails and accumulate punctures with alarming frequency.

Isolating Waste

A 5-gallon bucket, lined with a trash bag, or a latrine trench work great for an adult and even for an older child. So what do you do with a young child who is still toilet training or a baby in diapers? For the past 12 years, I have had at least one child in diapers, at all times. Yeah, and you will have to change a diaper before a crisis is over. Babies are masters of inconvenient timing.

For diapering, I keep a 5-gallon bucket and two 2.5-gallon buckets on hand. The larger bucket is stuffed full of receiving blankets. Yes, the simple flannel receiving blanket is truly a mother’s godsend. Those suckers can be used as bath towels, washcloths, diapers, and diaper wipes. They can also be sanitized by bleach or by boiling and dried in the sun. They can also be used to swaddle a newborn, which helps to stop the crying. Crying babies attract predators. The buckets can be used for soaking and washing diapers. The smaller buckets I use are simply short versions of a 5-gallon bucket, and in a pinch they work for bathing a smaller baby. Babies and toddlers really should be bathed every day. I don’t know how they get so dirty, but I sure don’t want them eating the stuff they crawl around in.

The smaller buckets also work well for toileting younger children, being shorter. I keep a toilet seat adapter on hand for smaller bottoms to sit comfortably, and of course I keep TP. There are alternatives, but in a crisis even TP is a comfort, especially TP.

Hand-Washing

Hand-washing stations save lives! At least, it seems that way to a mom. My simplest station involves a pitcher and basin, a bar of soap, and the aforementioned baby blankets. Using that, I can insist that my kids wash their hands and faces before meals and bed. Yeah, I know. You’d think in a crisis they could get away with some dirt, but moms will be moms. (And clean hands and face make a kid look cared-for. Yes, it’s all about the image.) For washing up after toileting or diaper changes and before cooking, I have a different setup packed away. A large drink container fitted with a spigot allows running water for washing. I use small squares of baby blankets that can be tossed into a diaper pail, but you can store paper towels. (I also use this kind of square for baby wipes.) My kids also carry these squares as handkerchiefs. Used handkerchiefs also go in the diaper pail.

Bathtime!

Kids, especially boys, need regular baths. Babies need baths every day.Unfortunately, large tubs are not particularly easy to come by, especially on a budget. What’s a mom to do? Rubbermaid to the rescue! I use large and medium totes to store my hygiene kits in. The totes double as bathtubs. A very large tote can even be used for adult baths. Water is heated and mixed with cold water in the tub itself. I usually wash two small children at once in the large tote. I use a medium tote or a shallow bucket to bathe a baby; it saves water, and it is easy to keep a grip on the slippery piglet.

As an aside, I am aware of the research into plastics. I know that the plastic in the totes is probably full of endocrine disruptors. And yes, that means that all those chemicals may be absorbed into the skin. However, in a crisis situation, I still prefer to deal with long-term effects of plastic exposure rather than the short-term effects of acute diaper rash. On a related note, always test the temperature of the bath before letting your children into it. A crisis situation does not need to be made worse by scalding.

As far as the actual bathing, I dip out a bucket of water from the bath before I put the children in it. After they have splashed around a while, I stand them up and lather them with a flannel and soap. (I use ordinary bar soap.) Then I use the clean water to wash their faces and rinse them off. Pouring water over them from an ordinary coffee can works well. I also wash their hair about once a week. I sit them on a stool with their head tipped back onto the edge of the tub and lather and rinse their hair in the tub. If there are any skin problems, I add dry brushing with a stiff-bristled brush before every bath. Add warm towels, a woodstove, and some curtains, and kids think it’s a great adventure.

Teeth

One of my sons has been on anti-seizure medications for two years. Have you ever read the warnings on those things? One in particular talks about the gum disease, tooth problems, and infections that can result from its use. This boy also has a tendency to run into and fall on things, with his mouth. Sigh. Because of this, I keep a dental health kit on hand. It covers brushing morning and night, flossing once a day, rinsing with salt water for wounds, and clove and wintergreen oils for infections. If you have a lot of infections or weak teeth, I also suggest adding Listerine or hydrogen peroxide for rinsing. Another thing to keep on hand is baking soda for brushing.

The best routine I have found for problem teeth is to begin with oil pulling. Take a spoonful of coconut oil and swish in your mouth for a long time (like 10-20 minutes). Then brush with baking soda and a drop of wintergreen oil. Floss at least once a day. Finally, rinse with salt water and a few drops of hydrogen peroxide. Establishing a good dental hygiene routine before a crisis is key, for yourself and your kids. In a crisis, your teeth may not be top on your list of priorities. If you are already maintaining good dental hygiene before the balloon goes up, your teeth probably won’t give out on you before you get back around to them.

Wounds

I believe I already mentioned that my boys get into stuff, a lot of stuff. Even my daughters get frequent splinters, cuts, and other minor wounds, especially on their feet. One of my most important preps is a special first aid kit geared for children’s everyday trauma. I keep a pan big enough for foot baths, salt, baking soda, tweezers, hydrogen peroxide, 90% rubbing alcohol, gauze, and tape on hand. I try not to use antibiotic cream or adhesive bandages. Serious traumas are dealt with from the trauma kit that my husband maintains.

My children play outside barefoot all summer long, so foot damage is the most common trouble I have to deal with. Splinters are treated with baking soda paste to loosen them, and then the foot is soaked in warm salt water afterward and a clean sock put on. Clean socks and bare feet are warriors against foot disease! Soap and water are used to wash out scrapes and cuts. Disinfectants aren’t used unless redness and swelling indicate infection. Usually it is enough to keep the area clean and wash or soak the area twice a day. Bandaging is rare, mostly for cuts on fingers, since they are used so much.

I also keep a kettle for quickly boiling water, and my herbal kit on hand to treat simple problems. I highly recommend an herbal medicine chest, even if you don’t have kids. I also let my children play with the pets, play in good earth, feed them unwashed organic garden veggies, bake with freshly milled whole grain flour, and only sanitize when necessary. A good microbiome is the best defense against illness!

Washday

“Monday, wash day, all you hungry brothers, we wish the same to you.” Washday is no fun, but it is necessary. I keep a large pot, and a selection of totes and buckets on hand for crisis washing. I wash dishes in a pair of dishpans after every meal, dry with floursack towels, and scald my dishcloths and dishpans. I boil diapers, underclothes, and any linens from sickbeds. I use sturdy whites and bleach everything in the sun. If you want to know how to do laundry, as in a time of polio without a washing machine, I recommend America’s Housekeeping Book by the New York Herald Home Institute. In fact, I recommend that any parent worried about possible TEOTWAWKI read parenting and housekeeping books from the 1940s and before. Those people knew how to keep things under control, even through flu epidemics and world wars.

Making My Kits

In the various sections, I talked about the components of my kits. Here is a breakdown of how they are actually put together:

Baby Kit:

  • One 5-gallon bucket filled with clean receiving blankets,
  • Two 2.5-gallon buckets filled with receiving blankets (use one as your “diaper pail”),
  • One small toilet seat adapter,
  • Scissors,
  • A small Tupperware for wipes and wipe liquid,
  • Gentle soap,
  • Diaper cream,
  • One medium tote,
  • A case of TP,
  • A box of trash bags, and
  • A bag of kitty litter.

Washing-Up Kit:

  • One 55-gallon tote filled with towels,
  • Floursack towels, and
  • Receiving blankets,
  • Basin and pitcher,
  • A 2.5-gallon bucket with spigot,
  • A case of soap,
  • A coffee can,
  • A boiling pot,
  • Dish soap,
  • Dishcloths, and
  • Two dishpans.

My dental and my first aid kits are in constant use. I don’t keep them put away, but I do have a lot of backups stored where they can be put into another large tote in a hurry. Finally, I have a laundry kit. I keep about six 5- and 2.5-gallon buckets, two very large pots, laundry soap, and a bucket washer stored away, with plenty of clothesline, and I have white vinegar as a fabric rinse. Until then, I use my washing machine.

And a last word about water. I store a lot of water for all of this, like barrels worth. A two-week supply for my large family, including hygiene and pets, is 18 barrels. That’s a lot. But planning for washing is a good idea. If you are not prepared, you will get sick from the stress of a disaster, if nothing else. Since I have my children to think about, I try to anticipate what will keep them healthy and convey a sense of normalcy. Keeping clean is one of those things. I am also working on ways of maintaining hygiene without access to water. It would be hard to take all those barrels if we had to evacuate, for instance. But my kids are worth the extra care.

Two Letters Re: Urban Trash

Hugh,

Under item number 7 (Recycle). Textiles, including things like shoes and purses, that aren’t in good enough shape to be donated to thrift stores can be recycled through GemText. Be kind and make sure the items are clean. Go to gemtextrecycling.com to see if they are near you. – S.B.

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HJL,

This contributor recommended burning trash that is combustible outdoors. This used to be common practice, but it is now most likely banned as illegal open burning in all but the most rural locations. Even in rural areas there can be burning bans due to wildfire risks.

A better option might to be to burn these items in a wood burning stove in the winter, or to get a chimenea or enclosed fire pit, which does cost more, but it’s less than the potential fines for violating the law. – V.L.

Economics and Investing:

Texas State Gold Depository Another Step Closer To Reality. Excerpt: “The creation of a state gold depository in Texas represents a power shift away from the federal government to the state, and it provides a blueprint that could ultimately end the Fed.” – Submitted by H.L.

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The Federal Reserve’s Cycle of Monetary Insanity (and Treason) Excerpt: “The Federal Reserve is a collection of malicious, serial liars, engaging in economic treason.”

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Vancouver Housing Market Implodes: Average Home Price Plunges 20% In 1 Month – “The Market Is Devastated” – H.L.

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One Simple Chart Illustrates The Absurdity Of College Cost Inflation

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SurvivalBlog and its editors are not paid investment counselors or advisers. Please see our Provisos page for details.

Odds ‘n Sods:

Comedian Steven Crowder Looks to Debunk ‘Common Sense’ Gun Control in Undercover Video – A humorous look at a serious subject. What is scary is that Crowder constantly reminds you that these are the people voting for the next president. – DSV

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Which Items Will Disappear First During A Major National Emergency? “We can get some clues about which items will disappear first during a major national emergency by taking a look at where such a scenario is already playing out. One recent survey found that over 80 percent of all basic foodstuffs are currently unavailable in Venezuela, and about half the country can no longer provide three meals a day for their families.” – G.S.

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Judges nixed DHS bids to deport illegal immigrants 100,000 times – B.B.

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Jeh Johnson Tells Flooded La., ‘The President Can’t Be Everywhere’; ‘He Has a Very Busy Schedule’ – E.M.

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First Long-term Study Confirms World’s Most Popular Pesticide Is Wiping Bees Off The Planet – W.C.

Hugh’s Quote of the Day:

“O Zion, that bringest good tidings, get thee up into the high mountain; O Jerusalem, that bringest good tidings, lift up thy voice with strength; lift it up, be not afraid; say unto the cities of Judah, Behold your God! Behold, the Lord God will come with strong hand, and his arm shall rule for him: behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him.” Isaiah 40:9-10 (KJV)

Notes for Friday – August 19, 2016

Today is the birthday of Philo Farnsworth, the father of electronic television. Additionally, he invented the nuclear fusor and held over 300 U.S. and foreign patents with his inventions contributing to the development of radar, infra-red night vision devices, the electron microscope, the baby incubator, the gastroscope and the astronomical telescope.

The Development and Maintenance of the First Weapon- Part 2, by B.C.

Strength-Building Option 2: Alternative Training

Your second option is much less expensive and is easier, but it’s less lucrative in its payoff. You’ll need three handled water containers (I would use the inexpensive pre-filled 2.5gal ones you can buy at the grocery store), a pair of grippy work gloves, and a large filled and twist tie sealed sandbag. You’ll leave them filled as is for now, but will eventually fill the containers with sand or dirt as you get stronger.

Fill the sandbag to a weight that allows you to take it from the ground to your shoulder 5x with some effort, but where you can do so safely. Always err on the side of too light!

The workout is as follows:

  • Jog or fast walk for five minutes to warm up; do two minutes of mobility work.
  • Sandbag Squats 5×5 (five sets of five reps)- Hold sand bag in arms across chest, and squat to below parallel. Then, return to standing position with tight abs and a flat back. Don’t force your ROM; stay in a good position and keep working your mobility until you get it right. Rest 90 seconds between each set.
  • Sandbag Press 4×5. Hold bag at shoulder level with palms facing up. Set your shoulder blades down and squeezed in. Press the bag overhead to a locked out elbow position by your ears. Lower it back down the chest. If the lower back is unsteady or working too hard, stagger your stance with once foot forward eight inches. Rest 90 seconds after each set.
  • Water Jug Carry (Farmers Walk) 10x50ft. The easier and hardest way to improve spinal posture, core, and grip strength. Pick up the jugs by the handles, walk heel toe with perfect posture and an active grip (squeeze, don’t slack). Complete the distance and rest 30 seconds. You can weekly and incrementally fill with rocks and sand to make them heavier. Just make sure they don’t break. Five-gallon buckets work too.
  • Sandbag Row 3-4×10. Hold bag at waist height and hinge at knees and hip. Keep back flat, slide the bag to just below your knees. Gripping with palms facing each other, squeeze your shoulder blades together and row the bag to your sternum. Pause and lower with control. You can do this with a pair of bags stacked to increase the load or elevate your feet and use the water jugs!

These four exercises completed two or three times per week will make a big difference in your physical strength. Always leave a bit in the tank on your workouts, increase loads carefully, and leave the ego out. If you have any orthopaedic issues, get a good trainer to help you get started. You’re looking for a CSCS qualified coach and hopefully one with at least five years in the field.

Endurance

This one is easy. I don’t have a great deal of love for jogging. It’s boring and not great in it’s ROI. However, you need to be able to do it pain free for at least three miles. Linear progression is here to save the day again.

  • Start by walking 1-3 miles 3-4 times per week and stretching after.
  • Once you’ve hit three months of strength work and walking, ramp up by jogging the last mile 1-3 times a week.
  • Then lengthen out the jogging by a quarter to half mile each week. Take it slow and take care of your calves and feet using the mobility tricks you’ve learned from Kelly Starrett.
  • Once you can jog three miles, you can add a small pack and incrementally load it. It needs to have a chest and waist strap. Being able to jog three miles with a 20lb pack is pretty impressive for most folks. Don’t worry if it takes you a year or two to achieve.
  • If jogging is out of the question, go for hikes and use the same linear progression, but add the pack sooner! Your endurance work can be done.

Speed/Agility

This is the most likely situation in which you will hurt yourself when the SHTF. Lifting can be shared or made lighter to avoid injury. Endurance comes quickly to humans, simply by walking or running more. Speed and the ability to use it (agility) needs to be practiced. Imagine that right now you had to sprint down the stairs, out the door, and down the street carrying your CQB rifle or shotgun. You would need to achieve top speed quickly, change direction, and decelerate safely. It’s much harder than it seems. If you haven’t hit a dead sprint in awhile, you’re at a high risk of an ankle or knee injury that won’t heal quickly. You need to work on the motor and suspension! The fact is, some people simply aren’t fast. It’s largely genetic. Some are more fast twitch, some are largely slow twitch, and some are a compromise. You can train speed though!

Start by doing some light jogging to warm up, roll the ankles around, stretch the calves, and do some high knees and butt kicks for 20-30 yards to prepare the joints.

The Workout

  • Run 100 yards at 80% effort. If it’s pain free, you can proceed. (Lungs burning is fine!)
  • Walk back to starting position, and repeat 5-10 times, depending on your fitness level. You can time all your runs and chart them if you’d like. Your second or third one should be the fastest. Do speed work 1-2 times per week, preferably after a strength workout! Here are several easy to remember formats. They are in meters, as tracks are set up for that. Work through them in rotation, using one format per workout.
  • 12x40m, walk back rest
  • 10x100m (quarter lap), 1 minute rest or walk back
  • 6x200m (half lap), 90 second rest
  • 4x400m (1 lap) 2-minute rest
  • 3×800 (2 laps) 3-minute rest

Agility (Turns/Stops)

(I’ll shoot, you move!) We will have you use this in your warmups or cool downs. You are looking to hit the following movements:

  • Forward sprint start and stop/backpedal/stop
  • Sprint and turn 90° and sprint/stop
  • Backpedal/stop/forward sprint
  • Backpedal/turn 90° and sprint/stop

Go at 50% speed to start, and work on keeping your feet underneath you and having crisp, balanced turns/stops that you can transition out of easily and smoothly. Youtube has some easy to find resources for Change of Direction work (COD). Practice in boots you plan to survive in!

Nutrition

I’ll keep this simple!¨You need to eat a small meal 1-2 hours before a workout and a meal (no mater the time of day!) within 30 minutes to heal up and grow. Post workout should be protein-rich foods (20-40g) with minimal fat. Carbohydrate intake post workout will be dependent on your goals. If you are trying to pack on some armour, you need a 2:1 ratio of Carbs to Protein (40-80g). If you are trying to lose some body fat, go with protein alone or a 1:1 or 1:2 carbs to protein. Earn your carbs, and store calories in buckets, not on your waistline!

This brief article should now have you ready to start developing your first weapon. Be smart about it and start slow. Be consistent and forthright in your efforts, and things will improve. Print and keep a copy of this should you need to coach an out of shape group at your bug out location. The mobility work will be the most crucial part to staying on your feet and keeping safe in uncertain times.

“Strong people are harder to kill than weak people and more useful in general.” – Mark Rippetoe

Letter Re: Dehydrating Food

Hugh,

Thanks to the author for a very informative article on food dehydrating. Dehydrating frozen vegetables from the grocery store is a very easy way for the beginner to start; however, as these small particles of food shrink they will fall between the openings of the trays. Don’t use cheesecloth unless you want to spend an hour with tweezers picking them free. Try to find a fiber-free porous inert material and then let me know what that is.

A pulverized mixture of various dried vegetables makes a great soup additive or a table seasoning. I’ve made dried soup mixes from dried and pulverized vegetables, beef jerky, and lentils. Add your homemade bone broth, miso, salt, and you have a hearty soup.

I agree with the author on choosing a dehydrator, however, I would like to point out that dehydrators can catch on fire. I had one that did due to a faulty heat control mechanism, and if you do an Internet search you will find that it can happen to any brand at any price level. If you have a fan and a heating element, you have a potential for fire. For this reason I would avoid buying second-hand and always place it on a non-combustible surface. – RT

HJL Comments: My personal preference for a dehydrator is the Weston Stainless Steel Food Dehydrator, which I purchased at Ready Made Resources. (It’s on sale right now for $299.)

To answer your question on liners though, I’ve tried quite a few. I’ve had good results with the baking parchment paper (from Walmart or Costco) and also with bamboo liners. The bamboo is good, but it is expensive and I’ve not found a good source for it yet. Mrs. Latimer tells me that her favorite is a set of Non-stick Dehydrator sheets she purchased off of Amazon. She used these this last summer and had very good results with them. Nothing falls through and nothing sticks to them. In order to use them, you need a dehydrator that moves the air horizontally across the food tray though. Dehydrators that move the air vertically through the trays will not work with these sheets.